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2. "Undue hardship" means: • <br />- The property in question cannot be put to a reasonable use if used <br />under conditions allowed by the official controls, <br />- The plight of the landowner is due to circumstances unique to the <br />property not created by the landowner, <br />- The variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the <br />locality, and <br />- Economic considerations alone will not constitute an undue hardship if <br />reasonable use for the property exists under the terms of the <br />ordinance.14 <br />3. The first part of the definition does not mean that the applicant must <br />show the land cannot be put to any reasonable use without the <br />variance. Rather, the applicant may show that it would like to use the <br />property in a reasonable manner that is prohibited by the ordinance. <br />"Practical difficulties" may justify a variance, including functional and <br />aesthetic concerns.'s <br />4. The applicant has a heavier burden to establish the need for a variance • <br />than a conditional use permit because a variance allows something <br />which is otherwise prohibited by the ordinance.16 <br />5. A variance cannot be granted for a use which is not permitted in the <br />applicable zoning district." <br />6. A variance to allow construction on a substandard lot is not required <br />when the lot had been in common ownership with an adjacent <br />substandard lot. This is true even if the lot. has been sold.1e <br />7. When the property owner knew or should have known at the time of <br />purchase that the use was prohibited by the zoning ordinance, the <br />hardship was created by the landowner, and no variance should be <br />granted.t9 <br />8. A prior erroneous application of the zoning ordinance cannot be used <br />to require a city to grant a variance.20 <br />9. Economic reasons are not a basis for a variance.2t <br />4 <br />• <br />